1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to methods and apparatuses for providing a control interface between a human body and a machine, and more particularly to a hand-held control device for controlling and manipulating an electronic control signal to a computer or other electronic device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various cursor positioning and pointing apparatuses have been proposed and implemented to effect the movement of a cursor on a computer display or other machine. The development of such cursors and pointing apparatuses include trackball, joystick, light pens, touch screens, touch tablets, and mouse type apparatuses. However, most prior apparatuses are significantly limited in that they are isometric in nature, requiring the user to manipulate an object on a resting surface or by a rolling type mechanism. None allow the user to simply move his or her hand in space to position the cursor. For example, mouse type devices require the user to interrupt his or her typing rhythm, look for and grasp the mouse, move it on a clear area of deskspace so as to move the cursor on the screen, and then return to typing. This considerably slows the user's data input and interaction with the graphical interfaces common in computer systems. Use of such prior devices frequently lead to shoulder and arm fatigue and because of the requirements for a rolling or resting surface type movement for the use of such devices may led to serious discomfort and injuries such as carpel tunnel syndrome.
Although a large variety of cursor and related positioning apparatuses have been developed, such significant problems and limitations with prior apparatus significantly limit their application and user performance. In general, all known prior attempts to solve such problems have been problematic, and share the limitations of lack of sensitivity, discomfort and injury to the use, losing one's place on the keyboard, interruptions of the user's typing and input rhythm, and significant stresses on the user due to the unnatural positioning of the shoulders, arm, wrist, and hands while using such devices.
Attempts to solve such problems have met with only limited success. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,739,128 issued to Grisham discloses a thumb-controlled, hand-held joystick for video game play, not cursor control, where a manipulandum is contained in a portable housing unit and the joystick extends a short distance form an upper rear surface of the device. Other examples include, U.S. Pat. No. 5,355,147 issued to Lear showing a circularly configured computer mouse, U.S. Design Pat. No. 331,044 issued to Tse for a grip-like configured joystick, U.S. Pat. No. 5,648,798 issued to Hamling for an ergonomic computer mouse/trackball, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,576,733 issued to Lo for a computer mouse device with an upright primary finger-supporting surface. While such devices provide varying degrees of increased comfort to the user, none solve the significant problems with such devices as enumerated above. Such limitations have undoubtedly been a reason these devices have not received widespread acceptance.
Accordingly, it is the primary object of this invention to provide an ergonomic computer cursor control apparatus and mount for controlling a moveable graphic element's movement, speed, and position on the computer or machine display in response to the movement of a users thumb or fingers holding the apparatus allowing for the tracking of two or more degrees of motion or orientation of the human hand moved in proximity to the keyboard. This provides a highly sensitive apparatus whereby a user may reliably select single pixels with a high degree of comfort, accuracy, and repeatability. As the apparatus and mount are ergonomically configured and supported, the stresses and inherent discomforts of all prior devices is eliminated.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.